


Hogwarts Support

by DaysPastHell



Series: Support (Name subject to change) [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abuse, Bipolar Disorder, Body Dysphoria, Character Bashing, Dark Harry, Dark Ron, Depression, Drug Abuse (Pepperup), Eating Disorders, Harry Whump, Hermione Granger Bashing, M/M, Minor Character Death, Ron whump, Self-Harm, Suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-16
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2018-05-07 00:54:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 13
Words: 18,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5437418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaysPastHell/pseuds/DaysPastHell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hogwarts Support group, where kids with problems go to talk them out and get better! Yippie! Not. Ron doesn't have a problem. Pomfrey, the therapist, Raven, and his parents are just blind. Everything was absolutely alright.</p><p>Until it wasn't.</p><p>*******************All of my Harry Potter fics are on Hiatus. I'm gonna be working on other fics for now.*******************</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginnings

The group was bigger this year, Ron noted. He was seated between a newcomer Ravenclaw and Jason, an older Hufflepuff. Everyone sat in a circle, though it was wider by about six people this year. Ron, himself, had been coming since last year. He was in fourth year now. He hadn't been able to convince his mom that he didn't need to go anymore. This was an embarrassing place to be. Ron tried to keep the scowl off his face as he stared at the Welcome banner that declared this to be Group Therapy. Group therapy. He was only here for a few weeks last year and it had been off and on because he was in the Hospital Wing. Since he wasn't here often, he didn't speak to the group. No one in the group knew why he was here, though he knew why most of them were here.  
Jason was pulled from an abusive home two years ago, and he had to stay in the group for another two years. He had some lingering anger issues, apparently, but Ron has never seen him act out.  
Heather, a Ravenclaw, had been here for a year because of clinical depression. She'd tried to commit suicide but failed. It was here or St Mungo's.  
Jessie was another Hufflepuff. She was here for anorexia.   
Kevin, a Gryffindor, had a stutter and anxiety.  
Two more, Frank and Greg, were here for PTSD from a mugging that left them with extreme anxiety. Frank was a Hufflepuff and Greg was Ravenclaw.  
Ron didn't know why the six new people were here. He did recognize a few, however. Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott from Slytherin were two surprises. Neville was here, and he kept shooting Ron confused glances that Ron ignored. The other three were a Ravenclaw, a Hufflepuff, and a seventh year Gryffindor that Ron didn't know. Talking died down as the teacher cleared his throat. Raven Blood didn't teach any subjects but he did help Madame Pomfrey. He was on his way to being a healer and was set to start working as both therapist and healer in a month.  
"Welcome back, returning students, and welcome, new ones. I am Raven Blood. I'd rather you call me Raven, but you may call me whatever makes you feel comfortable." Raven said, a smile on his face. "Since we have quite a few new students here, why don't we start with a nice ice breaker. Just say your name, why you're here, and what's your favorite subject in school. Do you want to start, Kevin? Then Blaise will continue the cycle."  
"I'm K-kevin, I have an-anxiety, and I-I like ch-charms." Kevin stammered out, his face red with embarrassment. Raven gave him a smile, then nodded at Blaise to speak.  
"I'm Blaise, I was abused, and I like Potions." Blaise said, scowl on his face.   
"I'm Theo, bipolar disorder, and potions." Theodore said, shortly.  
"I'm Frank. I have PTSD and anxiety and I like Defence Against the Dark Arts."  
"I'm Greg, I have PTSD and anxiety as well . I like History of Magic."  
"Hecate, depression, and Potions."  
"Jessie, anorexia, and charms."  
"Heather. I have depression and I like Transfiguration."  
"I'm Neville and I have anxiety a-and I was abused. I like Herbology." Ron looked at Neville in surprise. He knew Neville's grandmother was a bitch, but abused?  
"Jeff, depression, and I like Astronomy."  
"I'm Faith, my mom and baby brother were killed and I like Defence." Ron sighed, realizing that it was his turn.  
"I'm Ron and I like Defence." He said stubbornly. Raven raised an eyebrow at him. Ron scowled back. Raven just sighed and nodded at Jason, who was looking at Ron with a sad look. Jason and Ron had become friends since Ron first came, but not even Jason knew why he was here.  
"I'm Jason, I was abused, and I like Divination."   
"Thank you everyone." Raven said, smiling. "Now, most of the time we go around and speak about anything big that happened lately or anything else you want to talk about. Sometimes we do exercises. Why don't we just talk today? Does anybody want to go first?"   
"Can I?" Jessie asked. Raven nodded. She stood, brushing her long blond hair over her shoulder. "This past summer, my dad started a thing where if i eat a certain amount a day, the next day we go do something that I want. Some days were harder than most, but I ended up gaining some weight by the end of the summer."  
"That's great, Jessie." Raven said, smiling widely. Jessie grinned and sat down as everyone politely clapped.   
"Um, sir, can I speak?" Neville asked. Raven approved and Neville stood on shaky legs. "So, this summer Professor McGonagall came to check up on me because some of my friends expressed some concerns about my living conditions. When she arrived, my uncle, um, he was punishing me for not getting good grades. The Professor took me away after that."  
"Would you be okay talking about what he was doing?" Raven asked, voice soft.  
"He-he was holding me by the ankle out the window a couple stories up." Neville said. "He's done it before, but I've never been hurt! It wasn't like he would drop me."  
"Do you understand why it was wrong for him to do that, Neville?" Raven asked. Neville nodded.  
"Because I could have gotten hurt?" Neville said. Raven nodded. Neville sat down and everyone clapped.  
"Would anyone else like to talk?" Raven asked. He looked around before settling his eyes on Ron, who was still looking at Neville. He had been with Hermione to talk with McGonagall, but he'd never think that Neville had been abused. "How about you, Ron?"  
Ron just raised a defiant eyebrow at the therapist. Raven looked at him sadly before addressing the group.  
"We'll ended it here tonight, as it is the first Saturday back. The next meeting is Wednesday at 7 in the evening. See you all next time." Raven said, dismissing the group. Ron picked up his bag and began following Jason out. "Ron, please stay behind."  
Ron groaned, dropping his bag on a chair and sitting in the one next to it. He watched everyone leave, knowing Jason will wait for him. Raven walked over and pulled a chair in front of Ron to sit across from him.  
"How was your summer, Ron?" Raven asked. Ron crossed his arms over his chest.  
"Annoying." Ron said. Raven's look prodded Ron to elaborate. "Mum was overprotective and wouldn't leave me alone all summer. Hermione and Harry would've noticed if not for the World Cup."  
"It's reasonable that she would fuss, Ron." Raven said. "You were in the Hospital Wing a lot last year."  
"No more than any of my brothers, aside from Percy." Ron grumbled.   
"None of them had a disorder like yours." Raven pointed out. Ron just glared past Raven's shoulder. "Fine, you can go. I will talk to you on Wednesday if you don't speak."  
"Whatever." Ron said, grabbing his bag and hurrying out the door.  
Jason was there, as usual, waiting for Ron. The two walked together down the tower.  
"Do you want to go to the Great Hall?" Jason asked. Ron's stomach revolted at the thought, but he nodded, knowing if he didn't Jason would be suspicious. "Alright."  
"How was your summer?" Ron asked, remembering that Jason got a new family this year.  
"Better." Jason shrugged. "They were nice but irritatingly so."  
"Well, we're here now." Ron said. Away from his parents' watchful eyes.   
"Yeah." Jason said. They stopped at the doors. "See you later."  
"Bye." Ron returned, walking toward the Gryffindor table. Hermione and Harry were already there, talking happily. As he sat down next to Harry, the two looked up.  
"Where'd you go?" Hermione asked. "You've been gone for a while."  
"Detention with Filch." Ron leid easily, looking at the food on the table. Neville’s head jerked at the lie, eyes wide as if he never thought Ron would lie about something like going to group therapy.   
"Ron." Hermione said, voice scolding.   
"I tripped and my ink went everywhere, not my fault he's such an ass." Ron shrugged, piling food on his plate. He began eating like he hadn't for weeks and she looked away in disgust. Neville’s curious gaze never left him.

Later that night found Ron in the bathroom, his hunched form over a toilet. A silent charm and notice-me-not charm were cast around him in the case of one of his dorm mates waking up. He rested his sweaty forehead against the porcelain, breathing heavily. Tears betrayed his eyes, but he closed them harshly. He needed this.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ron's reasons for the disorders are revealed. On the other hand, Ron learns somethings might not be the truths just because he thinks it is, and will everyone just stop giving him bruises? He's a fragile human, for Merlin's sake!

It started when they came back to school for third year. The teasing from the Slytherins and other houses started taking it's toll on Ron. It was worse than his friends thought. At first, they were insulting the way he ate. He knew he ate like an animal, but he didn't know that it grossed people out that much. So he started trying to eat like a normal person. Then there were jabs about how much he ate. That didn't bother him as much until they added on to that by saying how he was getting fat and no one will like him because of it. Ron was already an insecure person, since he grew up with five older brothers who were all smart and good looking. One day, he just decided to eat less. The jabs didn't stop and so he just stopped eating and avoided the Great Hall all together. His friends expressed concerns about his new habit. He got so annoyed with their persistence that he made a small plate. After the first bite, the hunger finally caught up to him and he ended up eating three servings plus two of desert. That night, he threw it all up, thankfully with no one noticing. That's when he realized that he had a way to eat and not keep it in his body. Some of the meals he did keep down, but most he just gave up to the toilet. Ron told himself that it was just until he looked as good as his brothers. But every time he looked in the mirror, it just looked like he didn't lose anything.  
He kept this going all year, and no one suspected a thing. Then, he collapsed after the whole Sirius incident. Madame Pomfrey discovered what he had done and alerted the staff and his parents. Ron was able to keep his parents from telling his brothers and friends. In return he had to go to the Hogwarts Group Therapy. He was told that he had body dysmorphic disorder and a mix of anorexia and bulimia. His mind was telling him that he was fat, but in reality he was stick thin. Ron refused to believe them. He believed what he saw with his own eyes. That's why he won't speak at the meetings. He didn't belong there.

"Welcome back everyone." Raven said, the room falling quiet. "Let's do an exercise today. You all were given two slips of paper. I want you to write two beliefs about yourself. You don't have to sign them with your name. Once you are done, I will collect them. You will receive someone else's words."  
Everyone began dutifully writing. Ron paused, thinking for a moment. His parents hated when he said what he truly believed. But no one will know what he will write, right? With that in mind, Ron wrote on both papers what he believed about himself.   
Unlovable  
Disgusting  
Raven collected the papers and shuffled two at a time without looking. He then went around the room, handing out the papers. Once he was done, he sat in his chair and told everyone to read them to themselves and think about the words. Ron looked at the papers in his hands.  
Worthless  
Faggot  
Ron looked at those words in surprise. His heart ached for the person that actually believed these words. He himself was gay but was accepted by his family. The thought of being called that hurt him. The rest of the meeting passed with some people getting up to speak. Raven let Ron go with the rest of the students, most likely seeing the upset expression on his face. Jason walked with Ron, like usual. Later that night, Ron lay in his bed thinking about the words he had received and the words he had written.  
Was the person who received his words as horrified as Ron was?

 

~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+

 

It didn't take long for Ron to realize certain consequences his purging had on his body. His teeth became steadily too sensitive, he was tired too often, and his throat was always sore. A little researching - Hermione would be proud - helped solve this problem. During the next Hogsmeade trip they went on, he separated briefly with his friends. The potions that he had done research on were easily found in an apothecary in town. He was in and out as fast as possible, a shrunken bag in his pocket holding the potions. The potions for his throat and teeth had no side affects, but the pepperup would slowly work less and less. That’s how he was found out. 

 

Ron grumbled as he made his way to the support group. He was irritable and tired. He had run out of his Pepper up stash again. Reluctantly, Ron walked up the steps toward the room. A hand grabbed his arm and pulled him into an alcove. His back thudded against the wall, and Ron winced.   
“What the hell!” Ron shouted, only to have a hand placed across his mouth, preventing any more words from escaping. When Ron’s vision finally returned from the dizzying movement, he glared at his attacker. Theodore Nott smirked at him, his hand firm on Ron’s mouth. Behind him, Blaise Zabini was leaning against the opening arch.  
“We’re only going to say this once, Weasel. Tell any one of your dirty friends that we attend these meetings and you will regret it.” Blaise said, his voice sharp. Ron’s eyes narrowed.  
“Do you understand?” Theo asked, an evil glint in his eyes. When Ron didn’t respond, Theo pulled him by his collar and thumped him back against the wall. Ron closed his eyes in pain. “Do you understand?”  
Ron nodded, opening his eyes to glare at them. Theo’s smirk grew and he drew away, letting go of Ron.  
“Good.” Blaise said. He turned and walked away, throwing a few words back over his shoulder. “See you at the meeting.”  
Ron stood there, glaring at nothing for a few moments, after the two left. Once he was composed again, Ron pushed off the wall in anger. Oh this was going to be fun. 

“Since tonight is Halloween, let’s just share a few stories. I bet all of you are ready for the feast and the drawing of champions.” Raven smiled at them. Ron rolled his eyes at the cheery sound of Raven’s voice. “Does anyone want to volunteer?”  
“I will.” Jessie didn’t wait for approval this time before standing with a giant smile on her face. “Well, as it turns out, I have finally fully recovered. I’m at a healthy weight and I am eating normally. So, as I’m sure all of you are sad to hear, tonight is my last night here at the meetings.”  
“Congratulations, Jessie.” Raven said, around a round of applause. “I’m sure your father is happy to hear about it. You’ll always be welcome here, don’t forget that.”  
“I won’t.” Jessie said, sitting down with a haughty hair flip and a smile.   
“Anyone else?” Raven asked. Ron wondered what he’d do if no one volunteered.   
“I volunteer.” Faith’s quiet voice spoke up for the first time since the first ice breaker. Ron inwardly sighed. Guess he wouldn’t find out til later. At Raven’s nod, she stood on shaky legs. “Today is - was - my brother’s birthday. He’d be five today.”  
“How are you coping, Faith?” Raven asked, gently.   
“It...hurts, but I know my mum and brother wouldn’t want me to be upset today.” Faith said. She gave a trembling smile, eyes locked on the floor. “His name was Jeffrey Hope.”  
The following stories kept up with various moods, but Ron eventually tuned them out. He was too tired to deal with this crap. They were let out early so they could get ready for the feast and Ron was the first out the door.  
“Hey, Ron, wait up.” Jason called. Ron slowed down, realizing he hadn’t waited to walk with Jason as he usually did.   
“Sorry about that, Jason. I just wanted to get out of there.” Ron said, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment, after Jason caught up. “I can’t stand these meetings.”   
“It’s alright, I just wanted to talk to you for a second.” Jason said. Ron bit his lip, thinking about Harry and Hermione.   
“I can’t right now. I promised I’d meet up with my friends for the feast.” Ron admitted. Jason grabbed Ron’s wrist before the younger could pull away, catching Ron by surprise.  
“I am your friend and I need to talk to you.” Jason growled, eyes going dark with anger. Ron frowned at the sudden change in mood.   
“We can talk tomorrow, Jason. Harry and Hermione will ask questions if I don’t go now.” Ron said, slowly. He winced as Jason’s grip became tighter.  
“How do you know, they never ask why you go to the second floor bathroom after dinner instead of the one in your dorm.” Jason said. Ron froze, his blood chilling. He hadn’t told Jason what was wrong with him. “If they really were your friends, they’d notice. You’ve been doing it again, haven’t you?”  
“Let go of me.” Ron snapped, tugging on his arm to get free. Somehow, Jason’s tight grip became even more painful to the point that Ron had to bit back a cry. “You’re hurting me, Jason.”  
“Don’t be a baby, Ron, that’s nothing.” Jason’s chuckle was dark and dangerous. Ron gulped. He was in major trouble now. “Now are you going to listen to me, or do I need to tell your buddies where and why you are gone before dinner some nights?”  
“Fine. What is it?” Ron bit out past the pain.  
“Good.” Jason let go of Ron. Ron instantly pulled back his hand, cradling the wrist. It was definitely going to bruise. Shit. “That’s what I wanted to talk about. I wanted to know where you were getting your Pepper-up.”  
“I obviously haven’t had any for a while.” Ron snapped. “They’ve tightened the security, I can’t get anymore.”  
“Seriously?” Jason narrowed his eyes. “I bet it’s your fault.”  
“How could it be mine?” Ron gaped at him, in surprise.  
“You were caught hiding your eating disorder. I bet they figured out that the only reason it wasn’t any sooner was because you had pepper-up.” Jason said, as if explaining to a child. He scoff. “Whatever, you are useless then.”  
Jason pushed past Ron, leaving the red head to stare after him in confusion. What was Jason’s problem? He’s never acted like that before. Suddenly, Ron cursed. He was supposed to meet up with Harry and Hermione, right.   
As he ran off, a pair of eyes watched him leave.

“Where were you, the feast is about to start!” Hermione demanded in a hush tone. Ron sat beside Harry, as Dumbledore talked.  
“I had to go to the bathroom, sorry.” Ron lied smoothly. Hermione huffed, but accepted his answer.  
“If they really were your friends, they’d notice.”  
Ron shook the offending thought out of his head. No, they care. They just trusted him too much to think he’d lie. Ron looked at Harry then Hermione with a sinking feeling in his stomach.  
They care. Right?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More is revealed, this time in the present, and Ron just wants to be left alone. In the past, Ron is having problems with his "favorite" potion.

Ron had refused to believe that he was becoming immune to the Pepper- Up potions. Even so, he began upping the dose every other time. It was when he started throwing up blood as well that he started to worry. One of the more rare side effects to pepper-up. So he stopped taking it. He wanted to lose weight, yeah, but he didn’t want to die doing it. Two days after he stopped taking it, he was dragged off by Sirius Black. All the excitement and lack of food got to him once Sirius was proved innocent to everyone, and he promptly passed out. He next woke up in the hospital wing with a stern faced Pomfrey and his horror stricken parents. 

 

“Researching alternatives to Pepper-up, Weasel?”  
The voice and the sentence combined made Ron tense up and fear run through his veins. He was in the library, in a hidden corner that he thought no one would see. Apparently, he was wrong. Ron didn’t turn around to face the Slytherin, fearing that his face would give away the answer.  
“What are you talking about, Nott?” Ron snapped.   
“People shouldn’t have private conversations in the middle of a corridor. Even if they think they are alone.” Theo said. Ron could hear the smirk in his voice. Ron froze, unable to speak.  
“Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone. Just think of it as an...incentive not to spill our secrets.” Blaise said, surprising Ron with his appearance by sitting on the table next to Ron’s book. “You should probably stay away from that Jason guy, though. He’s a bit unstable.”  
“What is your problem anyway?” Theo wondered aloud, leaning on the back of Ron’s chair. “Why would a child of the biggest light family of the decade have a problem like this?”  
“Why do you want to know?” Ron asked, his anger clear in his voice.  
“Curiosity.” Theo said simply. “So, you are you going to spill or what?  
“It’s none of your business.” Ron said.   
“Touchey.” Blaise commented. “You might want to put a glamour on that bruise.”  
With that, the two Slytherins walked off, leaving Ron to seethe in anger. Ron pulled his sweater sleeve to cover his colorful bruise. 

~!@#$%^&*()_~!@#$%^&*()_~!@#$%^&*()_

His mum’s attitude infuriated Ron. She constantly acted like he was about to break any minute. Thankfully, she held off on piling Ron’s plate with food. Madame Pomfrey warned against it, so he was discreetly getting small portions that slowly got bigger. Every bite disgusted Ron, made him feel worse and worse. He couldn’t stand it. His eyes told him he was getting fatter and grosser. Nightmares plagued his every sleeping moment. His family and friends finally seeing what he sees, being disowned and hated. The start of school brought new hope of getting better, his way. A way that apparently no one understood.

 

Ron stormed through the corridor, ignoring the complaints from behind him. Bitter thoughts ran through his mind, making his mood even more sour.  
“Ron, Ron stop.” Hermione grabbed his wrist in a desperate attempt for attention. Ron ripped his hand back as the bruise screamed at her hold. She huffed. “You are being so immature, Ron.”  
“What do you know?” Ron snapped, turning and walking again. His long legs made it easy to stay ahead of her.  
Harry had to have put his name in the goblet. Even if he didn’t….well, it was only more proof that Ron would never be as great as him or his brothers. The thought made Ron sick. It’s better that he distanced himself anyway. If he tried to make this last longer than it can, it's only going to hurt him.   
“Harry didn’t put his name in, you ignorant idiot!” Hermione said, jogging to keep up. Ron sped up, turning with the corridor.   
Why would any of them want to be friends with weak, ugly Ronald? The thought fueled Ron as he walked.   
“Ronald Weasley, you stop and listen to me right now.” Hermione demanded from behind him. Furious, Ron turned and glared at her.  
“You don’t understand my thoughts or my feelings. It’s always Harry this and Harry that, or one of my brothers this or that.” Ron said, his voice rising. “I don’t care if he did or didn’t put his name in the bloody Goblet! So leave me alone or I’ll be late!”  
“Ron.” Hermione started, stepping forward with a confused frown.   
Ron ignored her, turning and running away. He was ashamed that the stress had made him shout at Hermione. Madame Pomfrey had sent for him, making Ron worried for the reason. Had Jason or one of the Snakes told? No, they needed that for leverage against him. Hermione had stopped following him, and he made it to the Hospital Wing in record time. Inside, Pomfrey was busy tending to another student, so Ron sat on a bed to wait. All the while, fear raced through his brain. Something was up. She had to know. There was no other way. Ron began to pick at his robe sleeves, biting his cheek nervously. His heart felt like it was going to burst and he had a lump in his throat.   
“Alright, Mr. Malfoy, you can go.” Pomfrey’s voice made him jolt and he looked up to see Draco Malfoy give him a quizzical glance as he left. Ron wanted to laugh. He was so nervous and afraid, he hadn’t even noticed that the Slimey Ferret was the kid Pomfrey was tending to. “Mr. Weasley, I called you up here so I can do a health check up. Disorders like yours doesn’t always heal well with witches or wizards. I just want to make sure everything is in order.”  
Oh Merlin, he was in deep shit now. There was no way he could fool a surprise test. Ron closed his eyes as he laid back for the check up. As all the future possibilities ran through his mind, Ron just wanted to die. He knew the consequences for if he got caught, but he never thought it would be so soon. It was taking all of his mental strength to not cry.  
“Would you like to explain these results to me, Ronald Weasley?” Pomfrey asked, her tone clipped and clearly pissed off. Without opening his eyes, Ron just shook his head. He didn’t trust his voice. “Fine. I trust you enough to give you another chance. However. This time will be different. Raven told me that you aren’t speaking at the meetings? That will change. Once a week, you will speak. And after every meeting, Raven will do a health check. If you do not fix your behaviour, I am afraid you will have to be committed in Saint Mungo's. I suggest you don’t do this again.”

 

~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+~!@#$%^&*()_+

Ron really did try and stop at one point, because he was afraid he’d get caught. It was just too hard and he couldn’t stand the heavy feeling in his stomach. Everytime he didn’t purge, he felt dirty. Gross. Fat. Ugly. His nightmares were the worst when he didn’t purge and he was more paranoid. So, Ron went the easy way. He didn’t stop.

 

“Any more volunteers to talk?” Raven asked. Ron didn’t even have to look his way to know Raven was staring pointedly at him. Ron heaved a sigh and stood up.  
“Fine, I will.” Ron shot his deadliest glare at Raven. Then he focused his gaze upward, his jaw set. “So, most of you don’t know why I’m here. I would have preferred to keep it that way, but I guess not. I have anorexia, bulimia and body dismorphia and that’s all I’m saying today.”  
The last sentence was spoken quickly and, as soon as the last word fell from his lips, Ron sat down. His eyes stayed locked on the floor, refusing to acknowledge the looks. Yeah, stare it up. Look at the freak. Ron was well aware that he was a freak with a multitude of problems.  
“Alright, then.” Raven said, after a moment, sounding baffled. He cleared his throat and continued with a cheerier tone. “Anyone else?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...it's been a minute. Well, here's the next chapter so don't kill me plz.

Chapter 4

It was easier than Ron thought to keep it up at home. His mum and dad were horrified that one of their “perfect” children had a complicated mental life. It was clearly hard for them to handle it. Ron barely saw his dad, because the man through himself into his work and took more shifts. His mum fussed but, without any knowledge about mental disorders, she started to leave him alone. She couldn’t meet his eyes, and ignored him to the best of her ability. The only time she ever tried to help, was with dinner. Other than that, his parents were distant with him. His siblings hardly noticed because they were focused on the other secret his parents kept about school. When Ron told Raven that his mum was overprotective, he lied. Why not? He lied about everything else.

 

“Ron! Ron, wait up!” Neville’s voice didn’t halt Ron in the slightest, actually it made him walk faster.

  
“Leave me alone, Neville.” Ron snapped. His eye twitched as he thought of the similar situation that happened the day before. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  
“Why haven’t you told Harry or Hermione?” Neville asked, not far behind. “Or any of us? Do your brothers know?”

  
“Merlin’s-just go away!” Ron cursed. Raven had been quiet while giving the check up, which was a plus. At least the young therapist hadn’t tried to be cheery about it. Neville had stayed behind to ambush him. Unsurprisingly, Jason was nowhere to be found after the meeting.

  
“Why are you lieing about therapy nights? It’s nothing to be ashamed about.” Neville said. Ron growled. It was like Neville didn’t even hear him.

  
He turned the corner of the corridor and promptly crashed into someone. Ron fell back onto his ass, crying out in surprise, a familiar shout following his. Wincing from the sharp pains, Ron lifted his gaze to see who he crashed into.

  
“Ron, what are you doing here?” Harry asked, rubbing his own butt. “Where were you?”

  
Ron groaned, wanting to sink into the floor and disappear. Perfect timing as always, Harry. It was Hermione that Ron was supposed to meet up with, so it was her that sent Harry to find him. Merlin, his life was a train wreck.

  
“We were in a group therapy session.” Neville said. He glanced at Ron. “I’m sorry. The lies are not right.”

  
“Therapy, what for?” Harry looked confused. Ron grit his teeth,throwing himself to his feet.

  
“Stay away from me.” Ron told Neville with a fierce glare before running away. Tears blurred Ron’s vision as he ran. How could Neville do that? Harry can’t keep a secret from Hermione, so Hermione will know. Then she’ll tell Ginny because they were close now. Ginny’s trap is never shut. Everyone will know.

  
Ron stopped in front of a window, leaning his side against it. He rubbed his eyes furiously. His life was over. Everything was breaking down around him and it only took two days. He wanted to scream. And he almost did, but the hand around his mouth stopped him.

  
“Don’t say a word.” A deep voice hissed into his ear. Jason? “Or you’ll be in a lot of pain within ten seconds.”

  
Ron didn’t doubt the older Gryffindor and nodded fearfully. His blood turned to ice as Jason led Ron away. Jason had lost it. Ron just didn’t know what Jason would do now.

 

Ron was shoved into an unused classroom, Jason following silently. With a wave of Jason’s wand, the door locked and Ron’s flew from his robes and into Jason’s hand. Ron’s blood rushed in his ears, afraid of what would come next. Was he going to be beaten?

  
“What do you want, Jason?” Ron asked, his voice sounding angry. In truth, he was terrified.

  
“What I’ve wanted since I first saw you.” Jason said, cryptically. Ron frowned, confused as Jason stepped closer. The younger teen’s wand was thrown to the left, hitting the wall and giving off weak sparks. Ron felt a surge of anger. That wand was precious to him!  
Before Ron could retaliate, he was caught by surprised, pushed against a desk. Firm lips attached themselves to Ron’s. He was shocked into stillness, but once that passed, he pushed at Jason’s chest. The older Gryffindor released Ron with an irritated huff. Blushing to the tips of his ears, Ron covered his mouth with his sleeves, staring at Jason with confused blue eyes. Jason chuckled darkly.

  
“Are you seriously that naive, Ron?” Jason asked, a smirk playing on his lips. “Are you that sheltered?”

  
In truth, Ron’s parents had never really given him the Talk. After mishaps with their children before him, they had decided to push it off until he was thirteen, but then he collapsed and it was forgotten in the madness. If Ron had been muggle raised, he would have seen things on the television, and he wouldn’t be so innocent. But, he has never once seen anything to do with the adult activities that Jason was implying and was entirely clueless. With a realization similar to the truth, Jason’s smirk grew.

  
“See, I’m actually doing you a favor Ron.” Jason said, bringing a hand up into Ron’s hair distractedly. “Your family obviously haven’t had the Talk with you yet, so I’m helping you with one on one instruction.”

  
Ron, while naive to most of the conversation, did not believe that any of this was to help him. So Ron pushed against Jason’s chest again.

  
“Let me go, Jason.” Ron said. Jason’s smirk stayed in place, using a free hand to quickly gather Ron’s wrists. He continued to run his hand through Ron’s hair. A chill ran down the clueless boy’s spine at the strange touch. “S-stop touching me, you creep!”

  
Jason kept silent, and dipped his head to kiss Ron more forcibly than before. Ron made a noise in protest, but was ignored as Jason flitted his tongue out to enter Ron’s lips. Ron’s lips were a closed, firm line, but a jerk to his hair had him gasp. The older boy took that chance to deepen the kiss and to explore Ron’s mouth with his tongue. His hand slipped to the nape of Ron’s neck, forcing him into the kiss even as Ron struggled. Finally, Jason lifted his head. Ron gasped for air greedily, as Jason bent further to latch his lips to Ron’s neck.

“S-stop.” Ron gasped out. Jason found the sensitive part of his neck, causing Ron to moan involuntarily. Ron went beet red at the sound coming from his own mouth, and even dark as something hard brushed his thigh. He knew what that was. “Let go!”

Jason lifted his head to Ron’s ear. “Stop struggling, or this will be more painful than it needs to be.”

He ended that with a nip at Ron’s ear, causing the younger to squeak. Jason mumbled a spell that Ron couldn’t hear, and his hands were bound tightly with magic. Both hands now free, Jason slipped the one previously holding Ron's wrists under Ron's shirt, trailing up his chest. The unfamiliar feeling made Ron renew his struggles. The hand at the back of his neck squeezed and Ron gasped in pain. Jason's mouth was back on his, tongue intruding once again. Wanting this to stop, Ron bit down on Jason's tongue.

“You fucking brat!” Jason cried out, face contorted in anger and pain. He backhanded Ron with a force that sent the younger to the floor.

Ron's mind blanked out in pain and as he slowly became aware, he felt hands on his belt. He weakly pushed at them with his own bound hands, but was brushed away roughly.Tears filled Ron's eyes as he felt his belt come off despite his struggles. Jason pulled Ron's pants and underwear down with one rough pull and Ron gasped at the breeze. A smirk played on the older boy's lips.

"You're completely helpless and useless, Ron. How you are related to the proud Weasley's astounds me." Jason scoffed. "You are weak."

The tears finally began to fall. He had thought this for a year, but to have someone just outright say almost all of his insecurities destroyed what he had built up since getting caught. Jason chuckled darkly at Ron's reaction, his own clothes dropping to the floor.

"At least I finally get to taste you." Jason licked his lips with a feral grin. Ron closed his eyes in tearful resignation.

"Stupify!"

Thud.

Ron jerked at the shout and sound of a body falling, his eyes opening with caution. There stood the last three people he would have ever thought to come to his rescue, chests heaving with angry breaths. One of them raised their wand and began a stream of endless hexes, stepping forward with each word.

"Theo, I think he's down by now." Blaise's voice was calm, despite the raging anger in his eyes.

"We need to take them to a teacher." Draco Malloy said, going to Ron's side as he spoke.

"No!" Confusion was put on a back burner as fear of people finding out what just happened took its place. Even though he was still unsure of what Jason was doing, Ron felt fear and anxiety at the thought of anyone knowing.

"What? Why?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Everyone already knows I'm a - a freak, I don't want them to hate me even more!" Ron blurted, his vision blurry with tears. He brought his bond hands up to his eyes to fiercely rub them.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked, confused. He was cut off as hands touch Ron's shoulders, causing Ron to jump in surprise.

"No one hates you because of your disorders, Ron. They won't hate you for attempted rape, either." Blaise said, soothingly. Ron shook his head.

"You're wrong, they all look at me like I'm going to break any second, and my parents-" Ron's breath caught in his throat, shocked that he had said so much. It was because he was still in a daze from Jason's assault, but even knowing that, he hated himself. He looked accusingly up at his saviors. "Why are you helping me? To use this against me later?"

Draco shook his head, a serious and honest look on his face. "No one should ever use this kind of situation against anyone. Even we have our limits."

"We won't tell anyone, not even a teacher." Theo said, after a moment. His narrowed eyes flashed at Ron. "But with one condition."

"What would that be?" Ron asked, frowning at them. He didn't like being blackmailed.

"You are not to go anywhere without one of your friends or one of us." Theo's voice was sharp. "I don't care what you tell your friends, but we will not let this happen again."

"You should just listen to him." Blaise said, sending a small fond smile toward Theo. "When he gets like this nothing will stop him. He'll follow you without your consent if he has to."

Ron gulped, looking at three. They looked completely serious. Even Ron wasn't stupid enough to think they were lying.

"Fine."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

 

Home was awkward. His siblings were confused by their parents actions and his father was never home anymore. Or, when he was, he smelt of a strong substance that Ron had never smelt before. Charlie happened to be visiting when Arthur stumbled into the door, and the older brother left with a look of confusion and disgust. Not only did he smell weird, his words were harsher too. Molly didn’t notice, or just didn’t want to, and just obsessively cleaned or cooked. Ron was starting to get worried about his parents. Worried and guilty. 

 

This was his fault.

  
  


Ron didn’t even look at his housemates the next morning. His stomach was churning too much at the thought. Luckily, it seemed that Theo had predicted this, as he was waiting for Ron right outside the portrait. A silent greeting of nods, a quick once over by Theo, and they were off to the Great Hall. Without a question, Ron followed Theo to the Slytherin tables. His seat, as motioned by an intimidating look from Theo, was between Draco and Blaise. Theo sat across from them. The other Slytherins weren’t surprised by this, so Ron assumed that the three had told their house.

 

“Why is everyone ok with this?” Ron wondered aloud. Draco responded while filling his own plate.

 

“If there is one thing that Slytherins hold above everything else, aside from their own ambitions, its unity. After we helped you, you were considered one of us. Mainly because of how protective Theo is over you.” Draco explained. Blaise slid a plate in front of Ron and the redhead looked down in confusion. A simple serving of oatmeal with apple slices and a side of toast stared back at him. Ron frowned at Blaise. 

 

“Don’t act confused, ginger, we said we’ll protect you. That means from yourself as well.” Blaise said, with an eyebrow raised as if to challenge Ron. 

 

“Blaise and Theo told me last night.” Draco said, still not looking at Ron as he prepped his own breakfast. “Don’t worry, we won’t treat you any different, none of us. The only change will be one of us making your plate.”

 

Ron knew that there was more to it. They would follow him to make sure he won’t throw it up. His fists clenched his pants in frustration. After a second, he sighed and unclenched his hands, and reached for the spoon. No doubt Theo would force feed him if he didn’t do it himself. The dark haired, bipolar Slytherin had this look in his eye that indicated that he would. Once Ron began eating, Theo’s face softened from the glare and began his own. Ron inwardly groaned. What had he agreed to?

 

“Today, we will do an activity!” Raven said, a smile on his face. Ron narrowed his eyes at the therapist. He was even happier than usual. Oh well, probably just his personal life. “You will pair up for this one. This will be called ‘Comfort Buddies’ and you will take turns talking about a certain topic. Today’s is Family. Now, pair up and begin!”

 

Blaise took Ron’s arm, gently, and led him to a pair of chairs. Out of the corner of his eye, Ron saw Theo talking to Jeff. Ron sighed, and sat down obediently. Blaise sat across from him with an expectant look.

 

“Do you want me to go first?” Ron asked. 

 

“Preferably.” Blaise said. 

 

“What am I even supposed to say?” Ron complained. “I have five brothers and one sister.”

 

“A lot to live up to.” Blaise said and Ron scowled. Doesn’t he know it. He wasn’t cool like Bill, or had a dream job as awesome as Charlie's. He wasn’t athletic or smart and he was always mucking things up. “What are your siblings like?”

 

“You’ve met the twins and Ginny. Percy is smart and perfect at everything. Bill is the oldest and he works as a curse breaker in Egypt. Charlie works with dragons and he’s really good with animals.” Ron said. 

 

“And your parents?”

 

Here, Ron paused. His parents. Mum and Dad have been acting oddly ever since the end of his third year. He knew they were worried about him, but still. “Mum likes to cook and Dad works for the Ministry with muggle things. Lately, he’s had to pull long hours because of some problem at work.”

 

“Do you get along with your parents?” Blaise prompted. 

 

“Yes. It’s just been a bit strained because of my disorders.” Ron said. He bit his lip, thinking. It wasn’t a lie, just not the whole truth. “They’re not used to this. My brothers were all normal, I guess.” 

 

Blaise narrowed his eyes, clearly knowing that there was more. Before he could ask, Raven called out to switch.

 

“Do you have any siblings?” Ron asked. 

 

“No, I’m an only child. My dad is dead too. He died when I was two. My mom is nearly always away with friends and parties.” Blaise said. Ron frowned slightly. Then who abused Blaise? “Ever since Dad died, my mom has kept a steady line of lovers, each one dying or leaving her within a year or so. The latest was upset with lack of attention from Mum. So he took out his frustrations on me.”

 

“Oh.” Was all that Ron could say. 

 

“The house elf found out and reported to Mum and he was arrested.” Blaise said. “Then the court placed me here, worried that I would react badly to the abuse.”

 

“Are you?” Ron asked. Blaise shrugged.

“No. Not bad enough that I need to be here, at least.” Blaise said. 

  
  


“This way.” Theo whispered, pulling Ron’s arm. Ron followed, internally panicking. He really didn’t want to talk to Harry or Hermione. Theo led Ron down a set of stairs, then around so they were behind them. 

 

“Ron!” Harry called, his hurried footsteps sounding above them.

 

“Harry, wait.” Hermione said, making Harry’s footsteps stop directly above the two hidden students. “You need to focus on the upcoming task.”

 

“I  _ need _ to talk to Ron. He’s not well and he needs to know I’m here for him.” Harry snapped.

 

“You do realize that this is a stunt for attention, right? Ron’s too simple to be this complicated.” Hermione scoffed. Ron felt tears prick his eyes at her words and pulled at Theo’s grip on his arm. “With siblings like his, it’s not surprising. He’d have to do something like this to get attention.”

 

“Stop it, Hermione. This is Ron we are talking about. He would never do that!” Harry argued. 

 

“The same one who used his rat for attention last year!” Hermione said. “Ron would do anything for attention!”

 

Ron had enough. He wrenched his arm out of Theo’s grasp, surprising the Slytherin with his strength, and ran away. How could Hermione say those things? They were friends! Or, at least they were. Now, all Ron wanted was to be alone.    


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's so easy to forget I have this story on this site -_- after a looooooooooooooooooooong time, I finally have chapters 6 and 7 to post, so post I will

“Ronald Weasley!” Arthur shouted, surprising Ron. His dad never raised his voice. “Just eat the damned sandwich, we’re in a hurry!”

Ron swallowed, looking down at the simple breakfast sandwich his mom made him. He’d been picking at it quietly. Unlike his siblings, he was ready to leave for the train already and they had plenty of time before everyone else was ready.

“Arthur!” Molly gasped. 

“He needs to eat, Molly.” Arthur snapped, pointing at Ron. There was that strange smell again. An angry lump formed in his throat like he was going to cry, and Ron took a big bite out of the sandwich. The tastes were overwhelming, making him want to be sick, but he forced it down.

 

“There, happy?” Ron said, tone dripping with attitude. He pushed his chair back forcibly and left the room before either parent could say anything. It was too much. He barely made it to the empty bathroom by his room in time. 

 

“You okay, Ron?” Draco asked, frowning. Ron ignored him, but stopped pushing his food around the plate. Draco turned his frown to Theo.

“He heard some things.” Theo said, bluntly. “That Granger girl was bad mouthing him.”

“That stupid mudblood.” Draco cursed, his grip on his fork turning white.

“Don’t worry, she won’t say anything like that again.” Theo smirked. Ron looked up in surprise. “I didn’t hurt her!”

“That’s a matter of opinion.” Blaise said dryly, as he sat next to Ron. He nodded toward the Gryffindor table. Ron shifted his gaze.

“She’s...wearing a hat?” Ron asked confused. A gryffindor beanie was shoved on her head, and she looked close to tears.

“She’s bald.” Blaise said. Ron shot a shocked look at Theo, who just quirked an eyebrow.

“I said I didn’t hurt her.” Theo reminded him. “And it’s not permanent; her hair will grow back.”

“Thanks.” Ron said, giving him a small, but genuine, smile. Theo nodded, smirking.

“Anyway, you need to eat.” Draco poked Ron’s side. Ron made a face at his plate, his stomach churning. “C’mon. Or Theo will make you.”

“Fine.” Ron sighed, shoveling a forkful of eggs into his mouth. Ignoring his stomach’s protests, Ron went on to eat half of the plate. Everyone had looked at their own breakfasts after the second bite and began different conversations around him. Feeling slightly better, Ron stood. “I have to go study.”

“I’ll go with you.” Theo said, pushing aside his emptied plate. 

“We’ll catch up later.” Blaise said. Theo and Ron nodded and walked toward the tall Great Hall doors. 

Ron liked it when Theo tagged along because he was quiet. Plus, with Draco, it was awkward with the family feud and all. Ron felt his stomach go cold at the thought of his parents finding out about this. With Arthur and Molly acting the way they were currently, they might not act so nicely about Ron hanging out with Draco. The origin of the feud was a mystery to Ron, but he knew that it was generations running. 

“Are you alright?” Theo asked. Ron nodded quietly, his face pale. 

How mad would his dad be? The remembrance of how his dad had yelled at him, his voice cold and harsh, sent shivers down his spine. Ron remembered the smell on Arthur’s breath and paused. 

“Theo?” Ron asked, stopping in the middle of the corridor. “What does it mean when someone acts different and smell bitter?”

“Do they drink fire whiskey?” Theo asked. Ron shrugged.

“I’ve never seen it. Mum keeps anything like that out of the house.” 

“Then they could’ve been drunk and you just didn’t recognize the smell.” Theo said and they continued to walk.

“What makes people drink?” Ron asked after a second of silence. 

“When they’re unhappy.” Theo said. Ron frowned. Did he make Arthur unhappy? 

He thought back to the day they left for King's Cross and how Arthur had made him eat that sandwich. Ron’s stomach rebelled and he froze mid step. No, he can’t, he was doing so well. His stomach lurched and he quickly covered his mouth. Ron wrapped his arm around his stomach, closing his eyes. He can’t throw up. He didn’t want to. He only threw up when he needed to, what changed? 

“Ron?” Theo sounded concerned and closer than before. “What’s wrong?”

Ron couldn’t respond, focusing on calming his stomach. Hands touched his shoulder and he felt something rounded tap against his arms. Recognizing it to be a bin, Ron shook his head frantically. 

“You have too or it’ll get worse!”

Harry’s voice made his eyes shoot open. What was Harry doing here? Harry tapped the bin against his arms again and Ron gave in, taking the bin with two white knuckled grips. Tears ran as the familiar acidic feeling pushed through his throat and mouth. Once he was done losing his breakfast, Ron knelt over the bin, letting the tears run freely. A stray thought wondered when he got on his knees, but he pushed it away. 

He felt so low, so disgusting. No one has ever seen him at his worst like this before. Ron didn’t want anyone looking at him but he couldn’t muster the strength to tell them to leave. 

“Ron!” Blaise sounded terrified and new hands replaced Harry’s. “What happened?”

“We were talking when he suddenly looked sick, then Potter showed up and conjured a bin.” Theo’s voice, tight with worry, answered Blaise. 

“Ron, are you feeling better?” Blaise asked. Ron pushed the bin away, nodding.

“I-I’m sorry.” He muttered. 

“Ron, look at me.” Blaise said, his voice suddenly firm. Ron flinched back a little bit, but looked up. Blaise’s eyes searched his face, worry in his eyes. “Did you want to throw up?”

“No!” Ron said. Of course he didn’t!

“Then you have nothing to feel sorry for.” Blaise said gently. “Do you want to go see Madam Pomfrey or Raven?”

“No, I’m fine.” Ron immediately.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> small chapters i know but I'm trying. 
> 
> btw, i have a new tumblr for this account and my two ff.net accounts to follow my process of writing these, show why i'm not updating, and others. I'll try to do fanart, but im better with undertale rn. its under bree_d_rogue so check it out!

Ron was feeling a loss of control. No longer was he throwing up out of need, now he was when his body decided to. At night, he sat in the shower for hours, trying to gain back that feeling of control. He wanted to scream. Nothing was going right, this wasn’t supposed to happen.The stress made it increasingly harder to eat and he felt terrible for disappointing his Slytherin friends. Sleep didn’t come easy. 

 

“Alright,” Raven began, casting a tempus charm. “We have fifteen minutes left, would anyone like to talk?”

Ron swallowed his nerves and stood up. His head was bent in shame and fear. “I will.”

“Alright then.” Raven said, smiling softly. “Go on.”

“Yesterday was the first time I threw up without wanting to. I got upset at,” Ron faltered and cleared his throat. “At something and I felt sick. I hate that I threw up like that, like I have no self control. I-it was frustrating.”

Ron sat down, his stomach in knots. He felt sick again, but this time, it was more of a nervous sick than a throw up sick. Blaize nudged him in reassurance and Ron gave him a small smile.

“Thanks, Ron. You know, getting well from something like this is a long and difficult road. You’ll have relapses and moments of weakness, and sometimes you can’t stop yourself, even if you don’t want to.” Raven explained. “It’s like that for more than just eating disorders. OCD, PTSD, depression, and almost all mental illnesses can have relapses. It’s controlling and managing those relapses that help you beat it.”

HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS

Ron found himself ducking under the tent flap, where he wasn’t supposed to be. He faltered at the sight of all the champions, who stared at him curiously. Completely regretting the decision to come here, he prepared to back up.

“Ron?” Harry’s voice stopped him.

“Hey, Harry.” Ron said, standing up straight. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Um, I wanted to thank you for the other day and to wish you good luck.”

“Thanks, Ron.” Harry grinned, pulling the redhead into a hug. Ron smiled, hugging back. A clicking noise startled the two and they separated.

“How adorable! My readers are going to eat this up!” An unfamiliar, high pitched voice squealed. The woman had long blond hair and cat eye glasses. 

“Ms. Skeeter, you are not supposed to be here.” An official, and familiar, looking man scolded her.

“Well, I better get outta here.” Ron said, embarrassed. “Good luck.”

“I’ll see you later.” Harry promised. Ron nodded with a smile, and took off.

Ron found his friends near the edge, dressed warmly. Theo scooted a little closer to Draco to create room between him and Blaize for Ron. The red head squeezed through and sat, grinning. Theo looked at him curiously.

“Where’d you run off to?” Theo asked. Ron would’ve taken offence to the tone he had, but he was too happy to care.

“I wished Harry good luck.” Ron said, smiling at him. Theo blinked in surprise and looked away.

“So you two made up?” Blaize asked, barely paying attention as Bagman started announcing. 

“Yup!” Ron said. He sat up straighter as someone came out of the tent. “Looks like Cedric’s first.”

HSHSHSHSHSHSHS

“Crap, I forgot my bag at the table. You three go ahead, I’ll see you at the table.” Ron said, before darting back to the library. 

It had been three months since they formed the alliance, aka made friends. Winter break was coming and nearly everyone fourth year and above were staying. The Yule ball had made a comeback with the Triwizard Tournament. There were dance classes for each house. Ron was not looking forward to the one with McGonagall. 

Ron slipped back into the library and spotted his bag under the table he usually occupied. Sighing in relief, Ron jogged over to the bag and picked it up. After checking that everything was in it, Ron made his way out of the library and down the corridor. It was the first time he’s been alone since he made up with Harry. Draco, who got chummy chummy with Harry pretty quick, explained to the other Gryffindor that Ron was not to go anywhere alone. Thankfully he didn’t say why and Harry left it at that.

He was yanked out of his thoughts as hands took his robes and pushed him roughly against the wall next to the stairs. Ron’s head banged against the wall and he cried out, only to have it forcibly slammed against the wall again.

“Shut up, slut.” A chillingly familiar voice snarled. Ron opened his eyes, that he’d screwed shut in pain, to see Jason’s slightly crazed eyes. 

“Jason, ah, let me go.” Ron said, shutting his eyes again as his head pounded. 

“Fighting me and having your boyfriends attack me was a bad idea.” Jason said. “And here I thought you were some innocent little boy, but you’re just a slut, aren’t you?”

“What’re you talking about?” Ron asked. He forced his eyes open again. “They’re not my boyfriends.”

“Don’t lie to me.” Jason hissed. He slammed Ron against the wall again. “Now, get me that pepper-up, or there will be consequences.” 

Ron went to protest, but was choked as Jason pulled his robes forward. He struggled against the grip. Jason smirked maliciously, before tossing him back. Instead of hitting the wall, Ron’s eyes widened as his back just met air for a few seconds. 

He was knocked out the second his head hit the first stair.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

When Ron came to, it was to a familiar white ceiling. He frowned, partly in confusion, partly in pain. How did he get here? Ron sat up slowly, bringing a hand up to his aching head. His fingers met bandages and his frown deepened.

“Hey, sleepyhead.” Blaise’s unexpected voice made him start. “Theo, go get Pomfrey.”

“What happened?” Ron tried, his voice coming out scratchy. Blaise handed him a glass of water that Ron gratefully sipped.

“When you took too long coming back from the library, Theo went and investigated. He found you bleeding on the bottom step.” Blaise explained, his eyes narrowing. “Don’t you remember?”

Ron frowned shaking his head.

“Don’t worry, memory loss is common in head injuries, and you hit your’s quite a bit.” Madam Pomfrey said, bustling over with Theo following silently behind. She bent over his bed, looking over his bandages with a critical eye. She tsked, stepping back and waving her wand with a few mumbled words. “It looks like everything is normal. All you need is rest and some food.”

Ron blushed to his ears at her pointed glance, shifting uncomfortably. She gave him a nod and walked back to her office. Theo sat back down, a dark expression on his face that made Ron worried.

“How long was I out?” Ron asked, his voice a little smoother.

“Three days. Pomfrey said that was normal.” Blaise said. Ron frowned, picking at the lip of the cup. “You missed Wednesday’s meeting, but we have one Friday before the Holidays.”

\-------------------------

 

“Happy Holidays, everybody!” Raven called to the students as they filed out. “Ron, a minute, please?”

Ron stopped, nodding at Theo and Blaise for them to continue on before he walked over to the therapist. Raven was smiling softly at him, his clipboard and wand in hand. 

“One last check before the hols,” Raven said, waving his wand with a familiar incantation. He nodded at what appeared, writing it down. Then, he picked something up from next to his chair on the floor. Ron frowned in confusion; it was a wrapped package. “Here, I got you something. I know it’s weird for me to, but I’m so proud. You’ve gotten so much better since you first started!”

“But I’ve relapsed and I’ve lost weight,” Ron said, confused. 

“Recovery isn’t easy, or quick. Relapses are common, remember? And losing weight is common when you start eating right.” Raven explained. 

“Will I ever be fully better?” Ron asked, looking up at the therapist. 

“It will be a while, but yes. And you are on that road.” He said. He held out the package with a smile. “You deserve this.”

“Thank you, Raven,” Ron said sincerely, taking the package.

“Now, go catch up with your friends,” Raven said.

Ron nodded, walking out. He paused at the doorway. “Happy Hols, Professor. I’ll see you after break.”

He left the room and was immediately joined by Theo and Blaise. The trio began walking to dinner, talking along the way.

\-----------------------------------------------

In the dark confines of his bed, Ron held the package in his hands. He was staring at it with a strange emotional build up in his chest. It was strange to have an adult act this way toward his disorder. He was used to disappointment and them ignoring it. Not praise for doing better. Ron bit his lip nervously, before giving in to his curiosity. He opened it carefully, not really tearing into the brown paper.

A box of sweets was revealed and he laughed quietly at the collection. He remembered Raven asking the group what their favorite sweets were, once. Chocolate frogs and ice mice were Ron’s constant favorite. There were Berties and Candy Floss, favorites of Theo and Blaise respectively. 

 

________________________________________________________________

“I hope Mr. Weasley likes his Christmas gift. I don’t think he’s being honest about the way things are at home.” Raven admitted, stretching his arms over the couch arm. A reprimanding, but playful slap to his ankles made him pout, and he freed up space on the couch by pulling his legs to his chest. “How’d your last week of classes go?”

“Terrible, as always.” Severus sneered, sitting in the open space. He handed Raven a cup of tea. The calming tea mix that Raven preferred, he discovered by smelling it. “The ingredients are still missing from my cupboards and I suspect the ‘Golden Trio.’”

“Mmm, I don’t,” Raven said, taking a sip of his tea. “There seems to be a rift between them, I suspect it has to do with Mr. Weasley’s condition.”

“Do you always look so closely into your students’ situations?” Severus asked.

“Only those who don’t have anyone to do it for me,” Raven said, quietly. His hands curled more around the warm teacup. 

“Mr. Weasley...are you sure it’s as dire as you think?” Severus wondered, looking into the fireplace across from them. 

“He’s getting help from a few of your Slytherins, so definitely. I just wish he trusted me more.” Raven said, sadly. “I might visit his parents, to get a sure feel of what’s going on. I did the same for a few students, thankfully none of them were severe and my worries were unwarranted. I’m not so sure about Mr. Weasley, though.”

“Let us hope it is the same this time,” Severus said. 

Raven nodded, taking another sip of his tea, the mix not working for the first time since he took this job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: House Visit! It took a long time for me to finish this (admittedly short) chapter because I wasn’t sure where to go with it. I wanted to bring my oc, Raven, into the story it bit more and thought it was a good idea to do a prequel, but now I decided to introduce his take on things! The “memory” sequences before every chapter will now switch to Raven’s whether he will have a major role in the chapter or not. It’s going to be kind of a “history repeating” kind of thing.
> 
> Thanks to Hinata17mesias (Ao3) for giving me inspiration for the next couple of chapters.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day??? Lol, I busted this one out quickly because my mind begged for it to be written. It's both my least favorite and favorite chapter at the same time. If you have any constructive criticism, please let me know. There's no beta reader and so if it's rushed or anything then yeah
> 
> visit endnotes for tw, which I've decided to start doing.

“Why can’t you be normal?” A woman with long red hair and brown eyes raged, folding laundry with an abnormal amount of aggression. The boy standing off to the side flinched at the words. He looked like the woman, with similar red hair and freckles. However, his eyes were a brilliant blue.

“I’m sorry.” The boy said quietly, rubbing his arm nervously.

“Don’t mumble!” She snapped, not looking up from the clothes.

“Yes, Mama.” He said clearer and stood up straighter. “I’m sorry.”

“Just, don’t be so abnormal when David comes over.” His mother said, sighing in annoyance. “He doesn’t know about your magic nonsense, and we’re keeping it that way.”

“Yes, Mama.” The boy repeated.

“Now, leave me be.” She waved dismissively over her shoulder at him and the boy turned to leave. “Oh, and, Raven?”

The boy paused in the doorway, looking back at his mother. She kept her back to him.

“Let David in when he arrives, I’ll be making dinner.”

\--------------------------------------------------------

Raven stood at the edge of the Weasley property, his chin-length red hair whipping around in the harsh winds. The property was modest with a large, multiple story house. If you could call it a house, it was so out of place that it didn’t seem to belong anywhere other than Wonderland. A deep, foreboding feeling permeated his core. He took a deep breath and gathered himself before walking up to the door. It was a few days before students would be allowed home, even those who’d return for the Yule Ball later in the break. Therefore, only Mr. and Mrs. Weasley should be home. He’d sent a letter a few days previous to request this meeting. At the door, Raven paused before knocking on the door. After a tense moment, the door opened.

“You must be Healer Raven Blood!” The person who opened the door was a red-haired, boisterous woman. Raven could immediately point her out as the Weasley matriarch by looks alone. It actually made sense that many people mistook him to be part of the family.

“Mrs. Weasley?” Raven asked, smiling politely at her.

“Oh, call me Molly, dear.” She smiled widely back. “Come on in, it must be cold out there.”

Raven allowed himself to be ushered into the warm house. He was stuck with how cramped everything seemed, even in the kitchen/dining room that the door opened to. He honestly couldn’t imagine seven kids (though three were out of the house) and the parents could all fit in here. Pots were stacked against the wall on the counters, a wizard version of a fridge seemed to take up most of the space. The table with nine chairs was squashed in the room. A red-haired man was sat in one of the chairs and Raven was led to a chair across from him.

“Mr. Weasley, I presume?” Raven asked, holding his hand out over the table. The man shook his hand and then Raven sat.

“You can call me Arthur.” The red-haired man said. Raven could smell a heavy firewhiskey stench in the room, making him hold back a frown.

“Which of our children are you here to talk about?” Molly asked, walking around the table to sit next to Arthur. “Would you like some tea, dear?”

“Um, no thank you, ma’am.” Raven declined. “Not many know that the school has given a new program to the school that I am in charge of.”

“Is it a medical class? Oh, the twins should go to that, Merlin knows how many times they’ve gotten hurt because of their experiments.” Molly gushed. “And Ginny’s been talking about learning some healing spells.”

“Ah, no, ma’am, this isn’t a class. I’m in charge of the group therapy program at Hogwarts Didn’t Professor McGonagall tell you that your son, Ronald, has been put in my program for a mandatory two years?” Raven asked, confused. It was like a light switch, how fast their expressions changed. Arthur appeared almost frustrated and Molly looked sad.

“She told us, but we told her there was no need for Ron to go,” Arthur said. “There’s nothing wrong with him, he’s perfectly fine.”

“I’m sorry that you had to come all this way out, but as Arthur said, there’s no need. We’ll talk to Minerva and have him pulled out so he doesn’t waste your time needlessly.” Molly said, apologetically. All Raven could do for a moment was gape at them.

“Excuse me, but do you understand Ronald’s condition?” Raven finally asked. “He almost died!”

“Oh, it was just the stress of Sirius Black and Scabbers.” Molly brushed off.

“Ma’am, I don’t think you understand, Ronald has a major---”

“I would like you to leave now, Healer Blood,” Arthur said, interrupting Raven. “There is nothing wrong with my son.”

“He’s taken to getting help from some very kind Slytherin boys his age, but I think his health would decline if you pull him from my program.” Raven tried. It was the wrong thing to say, it appeared. Arthur’s face turned a brilliant red in rage.

“Leave, Healer Blood.” He repeated. Swallowing his worry, Raven did just that. Something told him that he just made Ronald’s situation a lot worse.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“How are you feeling?” Draco asked as Ron sat down at the table for breakfast. Already, Theo was filling his plate with some of Ron’s favorites.

“Anxious,” Ron replied, honestly. The anxiety was making his stomach clench painfully. “Mom and Dad wrote a letter, asking for me to come home for the break. They said I’ll return in time for the Ball, but that they want all of us to come home.”

“They must be worried about you,” Blaise said. “After your spill.”

“Yeah,” Ron muttered, staring at his plate as it was placed in front of him. The bacon, eggs, and toast made his stomach churn.

“Speaking of the Yule Ball.” Blaise started. “Theo and I were wondering if you wanted to go with us.”

That made Ron look up from his plate in surprise. His cheeks coloring, he asked, “As a date? Is that allowed?”

“Yes, and yes,” Blaise answered, smirking (why do Slytherins all smirk so much, Ron wondered). “So, will you?”

His face beet red, he nodded.

“Great, now eat.”

________________________________________________________________

When Ron and his siblings were picked up, his dad seemed angry. Worry made his stomach hurt the entire ride home. He wondered if this was going to be a permanent feeling since he always felt anxious lately. Ginny didn’t notice his problem, but the twins kept shooting him concerned looks. They finally got home after an hour’s ride. Ron jumped out as soon as he was able and grabbed his trunk. Their mom stood on the front step, an unreadable look on her face.

“Everyone, go ahead and unpack. Ronald, your dad and I would like a word.” Their mom said, sternly. Ron felt positively sick. His three siblings complied, though they looked curious. Ron was lead to a dining room chair, where he sat with his trunk at his feet. A plate of sandwiches was at the table, only making Ron feel worse.

“We had a visit from one of the staff the other day.” His dad started. “I hear that you’ve been hanging around some of the Slytherins.”

“Blaise, Theo, and Draco help me with my eating,” Ron said, quietly.

“Draco? You're consorting with a Malfoy?” His dad asked, filling with rage. “I am very disappointed in you, Ronald. First this thing with food, then therapy, and now you’re talking to Death Eaters?”

“They’re not Death Eaters, Dad.” Ron protested. “All the Slytherins are really nice and --”

“I don’t want to hear another word.” His dad interrupted. “You are to stop hanging out with those boys and we’re pulling you from the program Minerva put you in.”

“Da-” Ron started. At first, he hated therapy, but he’s slowly realizing that therapy was helping.

“Not another word, young man.” It was his mom, this time, who cut him off. “You are done disgracing our family name. You eat those sandwiches and go up to your room.”

Ron looked at the sandwiches on the table. Once upon a time, before Hogwarts, he could eat all three without a problem. Now, the thought of eating and the stress of everything made it hard to breathe. As it started to feel like his airway was closing, Ron realized he needed help.

Not that he’d get any here.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“They’re horrible, Sev! Absolutely horrible!” Raven raged, pacing in front of the couch that Severus sat on. “They insist nothing is wrong, and as soon as I brought up the boys who’re helping Ron, they kicked me out! Ronald is only going to get worse the longer he is with him.”

“Unfortunately, I doubt Albus would listen to us,” Severus said. “After all, the Weasley’s are very respected to the Light.”

“Fuck.” Raven cursed, stopping. “On the plus side, he’s here more than at home, and he will get most of the help he needs.”

A pop shocked Raven, almost making him shriek. A house elf stood in front of him. “I has a letter for you, misser Blood.”

“Thank you, Plinky,” Raven said, his voice a little squeaky. He winced. “What did I say about surprising me?”

“Sorry, misser Blood, but it was labeled urgent.” Plinky apologized, wringing his pillowcase nervously with one hand.

“It’s alright.” Raven sighed, taking the proffered letter. “Can you bring me and Severus some tea, please?”

Plinky agreed readily, popping away again. Raven fell onto open space next to Severus, already opening the letter. Some of his healer paperwork tended to be labeled urgent if it was expressly vital. But this was a haphazardly written by someone who was in a hurry.

_Healer Blood, we heard that you are the one our brother sees. So, we hope you can help him._

_Ron had a panic attack and our parents locked him in his room after he passed out. Mum and Dad are doing more harm than anything with Ron and we’re afraid for his health._

_Please help us._

_-Fred and George_

“Sev, firecall Lucius. The situation is worse than we thought.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: OOC and abuse (?) (I'd consider it abuse tbh)


	10. Chapter 10

_“How was your break, Raven?” Severus asked. Raven smiled at him widely._

_“It was fine, how about you? Did you and Lily hang out often?” Raven asked, listening to Severus’s answers as he tried to ignore the bruises that scattered his chest and back. For once, if someone asked what happened, he’d be telling the truth. He did fall down the stairs this time, however, he had help falling._

_There was an unfamiliar tightness in Raven’s chest that had been there for the most of the day. Starting to get annoyed by it, Raven coughed into his hand to clear his lungs. A sharp pain radiated from that very area as he did, and he fell into a coughing fit._

_“Lily and I -- Raven, are you alright?” Sev asked, concerned. Raven couldn’t answer, could barely breathe. As his coughing fit died down, he noticed a bright splash of color. “Is that blood?”_

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Mrs. Weasley, please open the door,” Raven said, his voice stiff with anger and concern. He’d been knocking for a few minutes now. Lucius stood just behind him with the necessary paperwork. His son, Draco, had to be coerced not to come. In Raven’s experience, this was not a situation for a child. The door swung open to reveal Molly.

 

“What do you want?” She asked tersely, glaring at Lucius as well as Raven.

 

“We’re here for Ronald,” Lucius said, holding out the papers. She didn’t take them.

 

“What for?” Molly demanded.

 

“It has come to our attention that this is not a healthy, safe environment for him. You are quite lucky that the ministry has not come to a decision on your other children. Perhaps you can find a way to keep those three. I doubt it, after losing custody of Ronald.” Lucius said.

 

“In my opinion, it would be best if all of them were to come with us now,” Raven added. “If this is how you treat your children when there’s something wrong.”

 

“How dare you!” Molly started, fury in her expression.

 

“Oh, I dare. A child should never go through the abuse Ronald has suffered here.” Raven hissed, eyes darkening. “And before you say that you never laid a hand on him, trust me, what you did was psychologically, emotionally, and, if I’m right, verbally harmful to him. Abuse comes in many forms, Mrs. Weasley. Maybe if you paid more attention to wizarding society then muggle society, you’d understand.”

 

Molly stood there in shock, attempting to talk but not finding the right words. Thankfully, a pair of identical redheads interrupted. One held a trunk and the other held Ron to his chest.

 

“We heard you arrive, Healer Blood. Here are all of Ron’s things.” The one with a trunk said. Lucius motioned for it and the twin gave it to him without blinking an eye.

 

“Can we come with you? Ron’s not really in the best of mind.” The other said.

 

“If your mother allows it.” Raven nodded, directing a sharp look at her.

 

“Why would I allow a Death Eater and a heathen walk off with any of my children?” She shrieked.

 

“If you stop us, we will never speak to you again.” The twin holding Ron hissed. “You’ve done enough damage.”

 

________________________________________________________________

 

“He’s lost some weight, but thankfully it was only two days that he was there. Hopefully, this won’t be a large set back on his recovery.” Pomfrey said. Raven nodded, not looking at her. His eyes were on the small form that lay on a bed in the hospital wing. The twins and the three Slytherins have yet to leave Ron’s side. Pomfrey cleared her throat, bringing Raven’s attention back into the office, where they sat. “None of his brothers can take custody, am I right?”

 

“Bill and Charlie work and live in places unsuited to a child. Percy is too young and they have no other relatives able to take him in.” Raven said, quietly. He sighed, rubbing his face with his hands in frustration. “I know it was the right thing to get him out, but at this rate, he’ll end up in a muggle foster home.”

 

“Have you thought of taking him in yourself?” Pomfrey asked, softly. “He seems to like you well enough.”

 

“Am I fit to care for a child?” He asked, looking up at her. “I mean, I didn’t have the best parents myself, what if I end up like them?”

 

“You specialize in helping children and taking them out of abusive situations. Raven, if anything, you are the best person to look after a child.” Pomfrey pointed out.

 

“What if he doesn’t want me?” Raven protested, weakly.

 

“Now you’re just making excuses.” Pomfrey sighed. She moved aside Ron’s file. “Just remember you only have twenty-four hours before the ministry comes to their own solution.”

 

“I should talk to him,” Raven said, running a hand through his hair and standing up. “He should be a part of this decision.”

 

Pomfrey agreed and Raven left the office. He paused a few feet away from the bed. The twins were playing wizard's chess and Draco was observing. Mr. Zabini and Mr. Nott sat on the other side of the bed, talking to Ron in low tones. The redhead in question was sitting up on the bed. He was really only here for a checkup and rest. The twins were the first to notice Raven.

 

“Hey, guys, let’s go get Ron some food from the kitchens.” One of the twins said.

 

“I bet we can get some sweets.” The other said. The three Slytherins looked at Raven for a moment before agreeing. As they filed out, Raven noticed Mr. Nott giving him a warning look. He never thought a fourteen-year-old could intimidate him before.

 

“Thank you for coming and getting me,” Ron said, once they were alone. Raven sat down in the chair that Mr. Zabini had vacated.

 

“Of course, Mr. Weasley,” Raven said, smiling gently. He paused, finding the right words. “As you know, you can’t go back to your parents and none of your other relatives can take you in.”

 

“Where can I go then?” Ron asked, worry filling his expression.

 

“I have an offer for you, but remember, this is your choice,” Raven said. “You get to chose, you don’t have to accept if you don’t want to.”

 

“Who wants to take me in?” Ron asked nervously.

 

“Me,” Raven said, down. He quickly began to explain, “I mean, I understand if you don’t want to, but I would love to take you in. I’m sure if you don’t want to, Lucius and I can find someone who can.”

 

Raven fell quiet, realizing that he was rambling. Ron didn’t say anything, making Raven’s anxiety spike. He finally looked back at Ron, who was staring at him in shock and confusion. Raven’s hopes fell. Of course, it was a long shot.

 

“You don’t care that I’m not like my brothers?” Ron finally asked. “Or that I’m weak and fat?”

 

“Mr. Weasley,” Raven started. Ron seemed surprised at his own words, obviously not meaning to say them aloud. “You aren’t weak or fat. And of course you’re not like your brothers, you are your own person. You have your own strengths and achievements.”

 

“Yes,” Ron blurted, his face flushed red. “I would like to live with you.”

 

________________________________________________________________

 

“This room will be yours during holidays and anytime you want to stay here instead of the dorm,” Raven said, opening the door to a bedroom. He didn’t even have to request it, it seems Hogwarts knew he took in a kid. The room had blank walls and a simple four-poster bed, a desk, and a wardrobe. Another door in the room leads to a bathroom. “Whenever you decided what decorations you want, call Plinky.”

 

“You have your own house elf?” Ron asked, looking up at him.

 

“Not quite, Dumbledore appointed me one after the third time I had a panic attack because of a house elf. Plinky knows to give warning before showing up and uses doors. He also knows my vitals just in case of any medical complications. I told him to monitor yours too, so if you have any panic attacks, he’ll let me know.” Raven explained.

 

“Medical complications?” Ron asked, with a confused from. Raven led him to the kitchen, where he started tea. Ron sat at the table after a prompt.

 

“I have a few medical concerns, nothing contagious,” Raven said with an easy smile. “Tea?”

 

“Uh, yes, please. What kind of medical concerns?”

 

“I have a fatal allergy to peanuts,” Ravan explained. “My anxiety is more of a concern though, a lot of things set me off. I avoid those things as much as possible.”

 

The tea was finished by then and Raven carried the cups to the table. A spell enchanted milk and sugar to float over. Ron took his obediently and Raven sat across from him.

 

“Ron,” Raven started. The teen had asked for Raven to call him that soon after agreeing to live with him. “I just want to warn you, I didn’t have the best parents and I don’t even know where to start to take care of you. So if I make any mistakes or cross any lines, just let me know.”

 

“Alright.” Ron nodded, taking a sip of his tea.

 

“Ok, now that the serious talks are through,” Raven said, sighing in relief. He smiled at Ron. “Are you excited about the Yule Ball?”

 

This seemed to break the ice with Ron, who rambled about his dates and how pathetic Harry was at finding a date. Luckily, Draco had asked Harry, which, in Ron’s opinion, was a long time coming. Raven smiled as he sipped his tea, listening to his charge. Those boys really were great for Ron. He could easily see Ron recovering from his friends’ help alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I would like this to be a little longer, but I wanted to get this chapter out so I can, hopefully, finish the Yule Ball chapter before Christmas for you guys. I’ve never attempted a holiday chapter before, so here we go!
> 
> Life notes that might mean nothing to you, but may postpone future chapters:
> 
> My dad has been feeling ill so he went to the doctor, thinking it might be more than his current kidney disease. Whelp, there's a lump. Might be cancer. So it's really stressful here, adding on my troubles with my own dietary concerns, my lack of a job, and a shit ton of other stuff. 
> 
> Nonetheless, I will do my best to bust chapters out.


	11. Where have I been and why haven’t I updated (especially since I promised a Christmas chapter)?

Sorry for being gone so long without explanation, I didn’t want to jinx it. I do have the Christmas chapter mostly written, though I’ve been busy since the last update. (I will have that chapter up soon, I promise). What this update is about is my future, 13-week absence. This time I have a reason, I swear!

 

I have been going through processing for the United States Navy and, if all goes well on Feb. 11th and 12th, I will soon be headed off to basic training and “A” school directly after. I would already be through and probably preparing for basic, however, I have astigmatism and bad eyesight. They needed to call in an optometrist to check out my eyes and get me a waiver. After this consult, I have no idea when I’ll be shipped to boot camp, so I wanted to give this warning now. Basic training will take 13 weeks total (if everything goes smoothly and I pass every test, otherwise it could take longer). “A” school could range from 5 weeks to a year and a half, however, I will be able to write after basic.

 

Now on to my story. Because I will be crunched for time now and after basic, I am looking for a beta reader, on either Ao3 or ff.net. I will attempt to do without, but it would be easier with someone checking for consistencies and grammar. I will attempt to make faster updates but we all know that’ll fail (lol). As far as the future of this story, I do plan on it lasting a while and the Christmas chapter pretty much sums up the feel for my plans. As a hint, you’ll be seeing more of both Harry and Snape, for different reasons.

 

As for other stories (i.e. The Twins series and other fandoms), they might be touched on with a chapter or two, but I don’t know right now. If you want to beta, let me know either in the comments or by messaging me. Any comments, concerns, or questions will be answered in the end notes of future chapters.

 

Thanks for reading this long author's note, and thank you for sticking with this story despite the length between updates. <3


	12. Chapter 12

“Fell down the stairs? Really, Raven?” Lily demanded, her hands on her hips as she looked down at Raven with a raised eyebrow.

It had been two days since the start of term, and Raven had been in the Hospital Wing from the start. Severus had gotten a prefect to alert a professor and had followed him to the Hospital WIng, both of them missing the start of year feast. Raven’s injuries were worse than he thought, coughing had caused his broken rib to puncture one of his lungs. Pomfrey had insisted he stay in bed for the two days.

“I really did fall down the stairs.” Raven insisted, weakly. “You know how I get, I wasn’t looking where I was going and fell. I thought it was just a couple of bruises.”

“You’re lucky you had Severus.” She said, huffing. “Otherwise,”

“Ms. Evans, would you mind giving us some privacy, Mr. Blood and I have to talk.” 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Raven’s alarm went off earlier than usual. With a wave of his wand, the noise cut off. He yawned, sitting up and picking up his forest green robe. It was unfortunately cold down in the dungeons, even warming charms could barely make a dent. He slid his feet into his matching slippers and tied his robe shut. Then, after conducting his morning routine, left for the kitchen. His time in the muggle world had left a preference for making his own food, though all he did today was set the tea kettle up. 

He ground his coffee beans, another preference of his, and set it aside for the soon to be steaming water. He mixed a concoction of spices and powdered chocolate in another mug and, after some hesitation, put tea leaves in a third mug. By the time the kettle was whistling, he had all the mugs ready. In his own, he used a pour over method of making coffee before pouring it into his own mug. Then, he poured the boiling water in the other two. He cast a simple preservation charm on each mug to keep them nice and warm. As he turned for the cold box for his preferred creamer, he was startled by Ron standing at the edge of the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. 

“Happy Christmas, Ron.” Raven said, his heart calming. “I made some hot chocolate for you.”

“Thanks, Raven.” Ron said yawning. Raven smiled.

“I’ll be calling Plinky for breakfast in a moment, anything you prefer?” Raven asked as he continued to the cold box for his eggnog based creamer. 

“French toast?” Ron asked, walking over to the counter for his hot chocolate. “What’s the third cup for?”

Raven paused, closing the cold box and joining Ron. “I invited someone to join us for breakfast and to open presents with us.”

“Who?” Ron asked, looking up at Raven. Before answering, Raven mixed some of the creamer into his coffee with some sweetener.

“Professor Snape.” Raven said, calmly. “I know you have something against him, but I was hoping you wouldn’t mind.”

“You two are friends?” Ron balked, all the sleep gone from his eyes.

“Have been since our time as students. Severus was one of my first friends.” Raven answered, sending the creamer back with a dismissive wave of his wand. Pocketing his wand, he picked up his mug and Severus’. “He’ll be here soon.”

Ron was worryingly silent as they took their drinks to the living area, where a beautiful tree stood to the side of the already roaring fireplace. Under the tree was a modest amount of presents and three stockings hung over the fireplace mantle. Raven set his cups on the coffee table, calling Plinky. The door to the quarters opened, revealing Plinky.

“Good Morning, Plinky. Can you get us some French Toast, and the usual for three?” Raven asked.

“Of course, misser Raven.” Plinky said, before apparating away.

“Snape won’t act like he does in class, will he?” Ron asked, making himself comfortable in between the coffee table and fireplace.

“What people don’t realise is that he is cruel for a reason. Potions is such a dangerous class that he is forced to teach to the younger years. Honestly, it's a liability to teach to children.” Raven tsked, sitting on the couch. “If he isn’t harsh, students won’t listen to him as much. Though he can be quite the sour puss out of the classroom.”

“Always wonderful to hear.” A familiar voice drawled from behind Raven, who froze in shock. Ron looked conflicted between looking terrified or laughing.

“You know I mean well, Sev.” Raven said, relaxing. He smiled up at the dour man. “I made your favorite.”

“Well, then, by all means.” Severus said dryly, walking around the couch to sit next to Raven. “Happy Christmas, Mr. Weasley, Raven.”

“Happy Christmas.” Ron answered.

“Let's start with the stockings.” Raven said, breaking the awkward air. He waved his wand and the stockings went to their owners.

Ron dug in, excited. It took both Severus and Raven to make the stocking, both not knowing much about the young Gryffindor. Raven had put some new gloves and a scarf in Gryffindor colors, as well as various candies he knew Ron liked. Severus had put in a small box of ice mice that had a small dose of stomach settling potion inside. Like every year, Severus and Raven had made stockings for each other. Raven’s had some of his favorite candies, muggle and magical, as well as candles and some bath salts. In Severus’ was some potion ingredients that Raven knew he was low on as well as a selection of teas from around the world.

“Thanks, Sev.” Raven said, grinning. 

“Thank you, as well.” Severus said, with a small smile. 

“Now presents?” Raven asked. At the nods from the two others, Raven cast the same spell on the presents as he did on the stockings. From his colleagues, he’d gotten multiple new mind healer books and, again, candy. Lucius gave him a book on parenting that made him snort and new dress robes.

“Remind me to thank Lucy, I completely forgot to get new ones for the Ball.” Raven said, setting them aside. 

He settled back with his coffee to watch Severus and Ron open their gifts. Ron had gotten candy and gag gifts from multiple people. Raven worried about the amount of candy, wondering if it was good for his psyche. However, Ron just grinned at them. Severus had gotten potion journals from Minerva, socks from Albus, and a box of tea biscuits from Lucius. His last gift was from Raven, a snake robe pin.

“It has a charms on it, for safety.” Raven explained, vaguely. “In the package is a complete list.”

“Thank you, Raven.” Severus said, making Raven smile. “I have another gift for you, but it's for later.”

“Thank you, Raven.” Ron gushed, suddenly. He just opened his last, a set of dress robes. They were simple black with grey accents. It took Raven a while to find something that wouldn’t clash with Ron’s red hair. He didn’t want to embarrass the poor boy with Raven’s terrible fashion sense.

“Harry told me that he wants to get ready with you.” Raven said. “He wants to meet up after breakfast.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“How is Mister Weasley taking to living with you?” Severus asked, later. They had finished their breakfast and after, Ron began making his way to the Gryffindor tower.

“He’s been very subdued, almost a complete change from when I first met him.” Raven said, vanishing the wrapping paper and mess. He sent some of Ron’s presents that the boy had forgotten back to Ron’s room, as well as his to his own room. 

“I noticed. Normally, he’d pick up a fuss when seeing me. Mister Zabini has been a great help in potions, as well.” Severus said, taking a sip of his topped off tea cup.

“Those boys really have helped Ron a great deal. I don’t think he’d make the progress that he did without them.” Raven added. He sat next to Severus with a mug of hot chocolate. “Have you heard anything about the investigation on the Weasleys?” 

“Albus has made it difficult for the ministry, but it’s backfiring. If the headmaster is covering up the abuse of one student, well, let’s just say the ministry started investigating all students whose home lives he’s affected.” Severus said.

“With a little nudge from a board member, I’m sure.” Raven smiled over the rim of his mug.

“Of course.” Severus agreed.

“How about you, how’ve you been doing? We haven’t talked much since Ron came into my care.”

“Igor is still trying to get me alone, to talk about the Dark Lord, I presume.” Severus said. “I’ve brushed him off, but he’s becoming more insistant.”

“Why is he so frightened?” Raven muttered with a frown, setting down his cup. 

“He was one of the many who betrayed their own for safety. He even pointed at me.” Severus answered. “Besides that mess with Igor, I’ve noticed that my stores have been depleted of some essential ingredients. Boomslang and a few others.”

“Worrying. With this competition going on, polyjuice is even more dangerous.” Raven said. “Could it be one of the competitors?”

“I doubt it.” Severus said, simply. He proffered no explanation, but stood up. “I have some things to complete before the Ball tonight…”

“Can I help? Ron will be gone all day and I have nothing else to do.” Raven asked, looking up at Severus hopefully. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Nervous?” Ron asked, fixing his robes in the reflection of the mirror. Harry was standing in front of the other mirror, fussing over his hair. The brunette blushed at Ron’s words, dropping his hands.

“Probably not as much as you. I can’t believe we both got dates.” Harry deflected. 

“We didn’t even have to ask. Merlin, I would’ve made a fool of myself if I tried asking anybody.” Ron said, frowning at the mirror. He still had a chance to make a fool of himself. Shaking the thought out of his mind, he looked at Harry in confusion. “Raven had Snape over for breakfast and gifts.”

“Really?” Harry asked in surprise. 

“Apparently they’ve been friends for a while. They even made stockings for each other as well as gifts.” Ron said, still confused by the morning. He sat down on his bed, picking up a wrapped chocolate frog. Harry sat on his own bed.

“How, how are things with Blood?” Harry asked, warily. 

“It’s only been a few days, but Raven is really nice. I like him.” Ron said, picking at the wrapper.

“And h-how are you doing with, you know,” Harry asked.

“Better.” Ron said, simply. At Harry’s pointed look, he sighed. “Raven helps me at meals. Kinda like Jessie’s dad -- well, you don’t know her, but whatever. Raven and I play chess and everytime he wins, I have to eat from this bowl of snacks and everytime I win he tells me a story. He’s really good at chess and sometimes I think he lets me win.”

“He sounds nice.” Harry said, smiling softly. 

“I didn’t get to ask yet, but how are things at home?” Ron asked.

“It’s fine. Dudley’s on a diet, so, obviously, we’re all dieting. It’s not bad, I actually like grapefruit.” Harry said, shrugging. Ron didn’t really believe him. Well, he believed the grapefruit thing because Harry didn't really hate any food, but he felt that Harry was omitting things.

“We should get going or we’ll be late.” Ron said, instead. They both took another moment to fuss at their reflections before making their way to meet their boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not happy with the ending...or any of it tbh


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See endnote for trigger warnings

_ “Are you sure, Mister Blood?” _

 

_ “Yes, I’m perfectly fine and safe,” Raven said, on the fence of being disrespectful. The man who clearly didn’t believe him or his story looked at him sadly. Raven bristled, not wanting to be looked at in such a way. “Who even are you?” _

 

_ “I’m a friend of Mister Lucius Malfoy.” The man, who’d vaguely introduced himself before. “Mister Malfoy expressed distress about your situation and about the lack of action the headmaster has taken.” _

 

_ “ _ Mister _ Malfoy can --” Raven started. _

 

_ “Please, Mister Blood, he is only looking out for you. He fears for your safety.” _

 

_ “I’m safe here and at home!” Raven repeated. “No one is hurting me and no one will hurt me.” _

 

_ “At this point, he’s more worried about you hurting yourself.” _

 

_______________________________________

 

Ron was happy, for once in a long while he felt like the weight of the world was off his shoulders. He didn’t notice the beautiful decorations or think about the food that his dates put on his plate. His dates. Theo and Blaise were just wonderful. Theo was his usual quiet self, but Ron could tell that he was happy. Blaise took Ron’s first dance, then Theo. They didn’t seem to mind that Ron was stepping on their feet. His brothers, Fred and George, had stopped by to say hi and see how he was with Raven. Somehow, they did it without reminding Ron of their parents. As the end of the night drew near, Ron felt a persisting need and excused himself. Harry followed, not to watch him but to also use the facilities. 

 

“I don’t want tonight to end,” Ron admitted as they walked. He was positively glowing. He hadn’t stopped smiling since the start of the dance. 

 

“Same here, Draco was just wonderful.” Harry agreed, his cheeks gaining a bit of color even as he too couldn’t stop smiling.

 

“You know, I really didn’t see you two coming. When did that happen?” Ron asked.

 

“He started talking to me after I helped you that one time, and we’ve been getting closer since.” Harry said. Ron grinned at his friend.

 

“You deserve it.” He said. Harry opened his mouth to respond but collapsed as a bright red light hit his back. “Harry!”

 

Ron dropped to Harry’s side, looking around for the culprit. A similar red light streaked toward him, and Ron was out before he could even try to dodge.

 

=============================================================

 

A pop startled Raven and he jerked in surprise. “Plinky!”

 

“Masters Ronald is in troubles, sir.” Plinky squeaked before Raven could gently reprimand the elf for startling him. 

 

“Where is he?” He asked, immediately standing up. His eyes instinctively scanned the crowded room for his ward though he had a feeling Ron wasn’t there.

 

“My magics is being blocked, sir.” Plinky said, her large eyes watering. 

 

“Do you know where he was last?” Severus asked, suddenly. Raven had forgotten that the other man was there. Of course, he was; they’d been eating at the head table while the other staff were either dancing or patroling the grounds. Percy Weasley was the only other person at the table and he looked concerned.

 

“Nos sir.” Plinky answered. Raven pushed his chair back.

 

“I’m going to look for him in the halls, you ask Misters Zabini and Nott and check the courtyard,” Raven told Severus before rushing to the door. He was not quite running, but walking at a speed that had the crowd parting just a bit as he left. 

 

The corridor was empty and Raven pulled his wand out. A point-me spell just had the wand spinning in his hand like a broken compass. Growling, Raven headed towards the bathrooms. It’s likely he’d be headed that way during the Ball. The corridors leading the way were still empty, as were the bathrooms. Raven ran his hands through his hair, messing the slick backed style he’d put it in, as he tried to think. 

 

=============================================================

 

Everything was dark when Ron finally woke up. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust. When he did, he found himself in a large empty room he didn’t recognize. Harry was a few feet away, still out. Ron went to go try to wake him up.

 

“ _ Crucio! _ ”

 

Ron felt himself scream as his body convulsed on the ground. It was the worst pain he had ever felt and ever would feel. It was so bad that he couldn’t even describe it. After a long, excruciating moment the curse was lifted. Ron didn’t move, trying to catch his breath.

 

“I told you that you would regret it if you didn’t get me pepper-up.” Jason’s familiar voice snapped. Ron, still gasping in the aftershocks of the pain, turned his head in the direction of his voice. Jason looked worse for wear, almost manic.

 

“J-Jason, w-why?” Ron started, stammering unwittingly. 

 

“You’re such a little shit, Ronald.” Jason sneered, crouching next to Ron’s head. With Jason so close, Ron could see his and Harry’s wands in his back pocket. “Was pushing you down the stairs not enough of a warning?”

 

“J-Jason, please,” Ron started but was interrupted by another Crucio raking his frame. By the time Jason lifted it, Ron’s throat felt raw.

 

“My dad used to use this on me all the time,” Jason said. Ron didn’t look at him. “The curse is made so you can never get used to the pain. Every time is more painful than the last.”

 

“S-stop, please.” Ron choked out. He cried out as he was lifted by his hair to be made to look at the other. 

 

“You made me really angry, Ronald,” Jason said, his dark eyes boring into Ron’s. 

 

“I’m s-sorry.” Ron tried, but Jason’s grip tightened. 

 

“I wonder what those two see in you,” Jason said suddenly. “Must be good at fucking to have two Slytherins after you.”

 

“N-no we --” Ron protested, trying to twist out of his grip. It only pulled at his hair. 

 

“I wonder if you are just a slut trying to keep pretenses or if you really never had any?” Jason mused, pulling Ron’s hair harder to make him cry out in pain. Jason brought his lips up to Ron’s ear to whisper, “Only one way to find out.”

 

“N-no, no, please.” Ron started to struggle, but an incantation from Jason shredded Ron’s robes. He was forcibly reminded of the last time as Jason attached his mouth to Ron’s neck. His hair was released and his head dropped, colliding with the ground.

 

Ron must’ve blacked out for a moment when his head his the stone because the next thing he knew was that his lower half was completely nude. His hands were also tied together in front of him by a conjured ribbon. Terrified, Ron looked for the door, hoping to be as lucky as the last time.

 

“Don’t bother, no one will find us. This is the room of requirement and, unless they know what I asked for, they won’t be able to find it until I am done with you.” Jason told him as he hovered over Ron. The older Gryffindor’s eyes glanced over to Harry, who was mercifully still out though also tied up now, and he smirked. “Until I’m done with the both of you. Your friend over there looks fun.”

 

“J-Jason, please, d-don’t do this.” Ron pleaded. He jumped when he felt a hand on his hip.

 

“Don’t worry, Ron, it’ll feel good for you too,” Jason said before whispering some unfamiliar words. Ron gasped as his backside suddenly became cool and dripping. Tears began to fill his eyes as he realized he wouldn’t be saved. Something entered him without notice and Ron cried out, shaking his head. “I’m guessing, if you were right about not knowing anything, you still haven't had the Talk.”

 

“P-please, sto-op.” Ron pleaded. Jason sighed, casting a simple Silencio on Ron. Ron sobbed silently in response,

 

“Manners, Ron, I’m giving you a lesson. You see, there are many reasons we are better than muggles.” Jason continued. The thing in his behind stopped moving and something else entered beside it, his fingers Ron realized, and began scissoring. “See, with muggles, women are the only ones who can give birth. We don’t have that problem.”

 

The fingers withdrew and Jason flipped Ron over, positioning him so his ass was in the air. Ron had struggled, but a few well-aimed hits had stopped that. Ron felt exposed and completely terrified as Jason moved behind him. His tears had yet to stop when something far bigger than the fingers entered him. He screamed silently in pain, not prepped near enough. Jason grunted above him as he sunk in.

 

“Wizards are born with all the equipment necessary. Our magic hides it until its ready to be used.” Jason said, gasping slightly. He finally stopped, bent over Ron fully seated. “Guess you weren’t lying, were you?”

 

He chuckled in Ron’s ear. Ron hid his face in his arms, trying not to throw up as his stomach churned with both pain and disgust. Jason began moving, not giving Ron time to adjust. He was quiet now, only letting grunts and noises of pleasure through. His grip on Ron’s hips was bruising. Ron clung to that pain and attempted to focus solely on that. Soon enough, he felt Jason stiffen and press as far as he could into Ron. A brand new sob tore through Ron as he felt something spill into him. Jason grunted one last time, pulling out completely. He turned Ron over and smirked at his tear-streaked face.

 

“What, you didn’t enjoy it?” Jason teased. His eyes flashed dangerously towards Harry unconscious form. “I bet Harry will enjoy it.”

  
  


=====

 

Harry shifted in his sleep, a frown marring his otherwise peaceful features as an uncomfortable feeling spread. After few moments, he got used to it and began falling back into the dream he was having. He was in Paris, just like Draco promised they’d go. The Eiffel tower was stunning, but he could only smile at Draco. Harry huffed as the feeling returned briefly. Something was brushed in lower regions that made him gasp with pleasure. An unfamiliar voice chuckled in his ear as he slowly regained his bearings. A sharp pain made the Eiffel tower and Draco disappear. Harry’s eyes fluttered slowly to darkness and he frowned in confusion. The slightly uncomfortable feeling was still there and it suddenly moved, hitting the same thing that was brushed earlier. Harry gasped again, his half hard chub rubbing against the floor as whatever was behind him thrust.

 

His eyes started to adjust and he didn’t recognize the room he was in, but the realization hit him. Panic swirled in his chest and he began to struggle against the person that was raping him. The voice chuckled again, deliberately hitting the spot again. Harry sobbed as pleasure raced through him again.

 

“Stah-stop.” Harry gasped out as tears spilled out. The person ignored him, grunting as he continued to aim for the spot, hitting it every other thrust. Harry could barely move and his struggles were useless, but he kept trying to get the man off. “P-please.”

 

A knot of uncomfortable pleasure was building in Harry’s chest and he began hyperventilating as he could do nothing to stop it. With one last, well-aimed thrust, Harry’s vision whited out and he cried out as he came.

 

“I told you he’d enjoy it.” The unfamiliar voice said before grunting his own release. 

 

Harry, limp and feeling boneless after the affair, tried to look for who he was talking to. His eyes widened when saw Ron looking back at him with teary eyes and in a similar state of dress as Harry. The man finally pulled out and Harry had to physically stop from throwing up as something leaked out.

 

“I should keep the two of you here so I can use you whenever I want.” The voice said. The man came into Harry’s vision and with a painful lurch, Harry recognized him as Jason. Jason fixed his pants before pulling Ron up by his hair. “But you had to go and get an attentive guardian.”

 

“P-please let us go.” Harry forced out as he tried to pick himself up. Pain flared, causing him to gasp quietly. 

 

“I --”

 

Jason was interrupted as the door at the far end wall slammed open. Harry sobbed in relief when he saw Raven standing there.

 

“Stupify!” Raven shouted. Harry almost flinched at the harsh tone and he heard Jason’s body thud to the ground and hoped Ron had caught himself from faceplanting. “Ron, Harry!”

 

Harry fainted.

 

=============================================================

  
  
  


The Mind Healer in Raven knew this would send Ron backward in his recovery. It was a cold, clinical thought and it hurt him that he knew it was true. Thinking of the facts was going to help keep him from panicking but, at the same time, he felt sick that Ron had been put through this. Harry’s exam had also brought some cold hard facts. Raven had been right to be worried, there was evidence of years of abuse. Scars on his back from belts, and he’d been worried to find careful lines on the boy’s thighs. It appears Harry was to be watched as a risk as well. Raven put his face in his hands, grieving for the two boys.

 

“Will you take Harry into your care as well?” Poppy asked, quietly. Raven looked up. She was looking out the office window to the two boys. They were placed next to each other and they lay on their sides facing the other. From here, Raven could see Ron’s lips moving. 

 

“I want to. I don’t know Harry as well as Ron, but I think them being together will be beneficial. But there’s a chance Ron will take it the wrong way.” Raven said, looking down at his hands.

 

“Then, talk to the both of them about this. Reassure him.” Poppy offered. She circled to sit across of Raven, behind her desk. “He’ll understand.”

 

Raven nodded, before hesitating. He turned sorrowful eyes to Poppy. “What are the odds?”

 

“With their health and age,” Poppy, too, hesitated, closing her eyes as she recited the statistic. “Forty percent chance it will be a positive.”

 

“They’re fourteen,” Raven stressed, his heart hurting with the emotional pain of the situation. “This never should have happened. They were supposed to be safe here.”

 

“There’s a lot of supposed-to-bes about this school and I fear, one day, it will close us down.” Poppy said, honestly. “Things have been wrong here for far too long.”

 

Raven nodded, knowing what she meant. The fall of his master had brought changes to this school, none of them for the better. Dumbledore was taking too many risks, and this tournament, should it end badly, will be the last straw. Raven looked into the Hospital Wing again. He had to talk to the boys. Everything else can wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: self-harm mention, rape, non-con somnophilia
> 
> So, I rewrote this chapter because I felt it was leaning towards more Ron centered chapters. This version leans more Harry, I think. Plus, more actual plot. Raven is starting to show his opinions on Dumbledore more and who he is loyal to. I do plan on bringing Voldemort back, but it's going to be different than the book/movie. Hint: Voldie has nothing to do with the tournament.


End file.
